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An appeals court has ruled that the beheading must go ahead – maning the youngster could be killed within days.

It comes just days after it was revealed that Saudi teen Ali al-Nimr is facing crucifixion.

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Ali al-Nimr could be crucified within days

A Saudi court ruled he had taken part in illegal protests and committed firearms offences – even though there was no evidence for the latter charge.

A final appeal was held in secret without Mr al-Nimr's knowledge which was dismissed, giving him few legal options to oppose the sentence originally handed down on May 27 last year.

But after an international outcry David Cameron has suggested he could intervene personally to urge the Saudi Arabian government not to carry out the death sentence.

But he made clear he would not downgrade the UK's close relations with the desert kingdom in response to the case, insisting that it was essential for national security reasons.

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David Cameron has suggested he will personally intervene with the Saudi government

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Since King Salman came to power in January executions have been carried out at a high rate

Saudi intelligence had prevented at least one bomb plot in the UK, he said, in an apparent reference to the 2010 incident in which ink cartridges containing explosives were found in a cargo plane at East Midlands Airport.

Speaking at the Conservative conference in Manchester, Mr Cameron said he had not so far personally spoken to the Saudis about Mr al-Nimr

But he said: "We have raised this as a government. The Foreign Secretary has raised this, our embassy has raised this, we raise this in the proper way.

"I will look to see if there is an opportunity for me to raise it as well. We oppose the death penalty anywhere and everywhere and we make that clear in all of our international contacts."

Pressed over the UK's close relations with the Middle Eastern kingdom, Mr Cameron said: "We have a relationship with Saudi Arabia, and if you want to know why, I will tell you why.

"It's because we receive from them important intelligence and security information that keeps us safe.

"The reason we have the relationship is our own national security.

"There was one occasion since I've been Prime Minister where a bomb that would have potentially blown up over Britain was stopped because of intelligence we got from Saudi Arabia."

Reprieve death penalty team director Maya Foa said: "Ali al-Nimr’s case has rightly prompted revulsion among the international community.

"It is therefore horrifying that the Saudi government is pushing ahead with plans to exact a similarly brutal sentence on another juvenile, Dawoud al-Marhoon."